Saturday, July 21, 2007

Mix the tempura with cold water (2-3 T) as directed in the box, add paprika, salt and pepper to taste, add raw shrimp with shell in. Prepare a frying pan with enough frying oil over medium high heat, when the oil is ready (bubbling but not smoking), take each wonton skin and dip into the tempura mixture, transfer to the frying pan, place 1 shrimp in the center. Deep fry each side until nicely brown and cooked. Remove and drain with papper towel. Serve this shrimp chips with Sa Dec, My Tho or Nam Vang style noodles.

Marinate pork with 1 T fish sauce, 1 t sea salt, 1/2 T sugar, black ground pepper, shallots.Drain quail eggs and set aside.In a heavy bottom pan, heat 2 T sugar over medium heat to make quick caramel sauce. When the sugar about to turn into the color you want, remove pan and add pork in quickly. Mix pork into the caramel to color evenly. Bring back to heat. Add oil in and stir to cook for a few minutes. Add quail eggs. Lower heat to medium low and let it simmers until liquid reduced. Add more fish sauce and sugar to taste. Add green onion and serve.

Remove stems from mushrooms, brush caps to clean. Discard tough end of stems, chop and set aside.Cut each tomato in half cross wise, scoop out pulp and seeds, discard seeds and finely chop the pulp and set aside.

Mix ground pork, shrimp, onion, fish sauce, fresh ground pepper together in a bowl. Use a small spoon to fill all the caps with this mixture.

Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Place stuffed mushrooms and tomatoes in, filling sides down. Let them cook for 3 minutes until the fillings turn golden brown. Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle salt and pepper on the caps and cover to cook for 5-7 more minutes.Gently remove them and set on a plate. Add garlic into the hot pan with oil and liquid left from the caps, stir until fragant, add chopped mushroom stems in, stir, add tomato pulp in, add some fish sauce and sugar to taste. Add green onion.

Pour this sauce on top of stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Heat pan over high heat, add oil, add garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add broccoli and 1-2 T water if needed. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until broccoli is crisp-tender (about 3 more minutes). I just toss some red bell pepper in because it has been sitting in the fridge for too long.

Use scissors to cut off part of the shrimp head, just pass the nose (hard nub above the eyes) and the 5 pairs legs part. Rinse over cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over. Lightly coat the shrimps with the cornstarch.Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium high heat, deep fry the shrimps until they turn bright orange, turn to cook both side about 1-2 minutes. Remove and drain on papper towels.Put shrimps into another pan, heat on medium heat, add onion, jalapeno pepper (optional) and green onion in, sprinkle more salt and pepper as you stir (or toss if you wish) the shrimps to coat evenly. Serve hot.

Rice Paper HoldersUse 10-20 rice paper holders, they are sold in pack of 10.Have a basin of warm water ready. Immerse each sheet into the warm water. Quickly remove and spread out flat on the rice paper holder. The rice paper will become pliable within seconds.

Lay 1 piece of letuce over the top third of the moistened rice paper. Place all other condiments on.Place grilled fish or meat on top... and roll up the paper ... into a cylinder.Fold both sides of the papper over the filling.Keep rolling the paper into a cylinder to seal.

Have the butcher clean you fish and remove all guts and gills. Clean off the black mud by pouring boiling water and scrubbing the fish's skin with the blade of a sharp knife. Clean under running water.On a flat surface, hold the fish by the head and insert the blade point of a knife into the gill hole (where they cut to remove guts abd gills). Make a cut all the way to the belly along the length of the back bone, close but not into the rib case, run to the tail. Open the fish like a butterfly, skin side up. Make 2-3 slits each side of the fish wing (the filet parts). Rub oil, garlic, salt and pepper evenly on the fish. Put in oven, cover and broil under 500 degrees for 20-25 minutes.Mix oyster sauce + honey + egg + egg white + butter into a bowl. Use a brush to brush the mixture on the fish skin and put back in the broil, wait until dry, continue to brush until a thick golden surface is built. Brush on more butter if needed. Transfer the fish to an ovel dish, top with green onion oil, crisp-fried shallot, and toasted peanut.

To eat, take 1 rice paper (on holder) put on your dinner plate, place varieties of vegetables on rice paper, noodles (optional), big chunk of fish with crispy skin. Roll the rice paper up then dip it in the anchovy sauce and eat out of hand.

Monday, July 02, 2007

In a large pot, heat oil over high heat, add garlic and cook until fragant, add mushrooms and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add Snow Pea Sprout in, cover, stir occationally to cook evenly. Add soy sauce and pepper to taste. Cook until the leaves tender. Serve.

Cut tofu into small cubes or any shape that desired. Deep fry until golden crisp. Set aside.In a small sauce pan, heat some oil over medium high heat, add garlic and cook until fragant. Add tomato in, stir to mix well. Cover to cook for a few minutes. Add ketchup, sriracha and some water (if needed). Add shrimp and stir to cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add fish sauce, sugar and pepper to taste. Add green onion and cilantro. Stir to mix evenly. Pour over crisp fried tofu cubes, served.

Cut off the lower part of the stems of oyster mushrooms. Flush out the gill spaces. Gently press with your hand to remove excess liquid, set aside. Soak cai-ngot (chinese flowering cabage) in a sink with few inches of water. Move the leaves around and let them sit to allow sand and dirt to fall to bottom of the sink. Remove and wash throroughly.

In a large pan, heat oil over high heat, add garlic and stir until fragant, add cai-ngot and stir to cook for a few minutes until tender. Add fermented tofu sauce in, mix well, taste, add salt if needed. Tranfer cai-ngot to a serving dish, pour excess sauce from cai ngot into a small cup. Add a little more oil into the pan, some garlic, quick stir-fry oyster mushroom. Add the excess sauce from cai-ngot into the mushroom. It will thicken shorly. Pour the mushrooms on top of cai-ngot. Grind some pepper on top then serve.